VIP visitors rate Seattle

Conventioneers love the friendly folks. The weather? Not so much

Published 10:00 pm, Wednesday, January 16, 2008

You live here. You've formed your opinions; you know the city's assets and aggravations. But how does Seattle appear to a fresh eye?

More than 3,000 convention planners and hospitality professionals -- the people who decide which cities get to host coveted conventions -- descended on the city this week. Taxi drivers were encouraged to be extra friendly, and local TV meteorologists broadcasted welcoming words at the behest of the local tourism bureau.

So what did the visitors think of our city?

Six themes came up repeatedly in interviews with more than 50 convention-goers. Downtown is walkable, people are friendly, the city is "gorgeous" and clean. At the same time, flying here takes too long, too many transients beg within the downtown corridor, and the weather is lousy.

Here are some examples of what visitors thought:

"It's a city without feeling like a city. I mean that as a compliment."– Linda Miceli of Tucson, Arizona

"I had no clue how manageable it was; how walkable it was. I didn't expect as much local flavor."– LeeAnne Jensick of Austin, Texas

"I've been very impressed with how appealing the city is."– John Roberts of Vancouver, B.C.

"There were a lot of people begging for money. They weren't aggressive." – Sheila Fox of Columbus, Ohio

"You need some sort of rapid transport system in the city."– Yeen Mankin of San Francisco

The responses show what Seattle had better not screw up, and that two of the city's biggest perceived downfalls can't be fixed.

Interviewees hailed from all over the country, and each said he or she would -- or will -- host a meeting in Seattle. Few of them had time to venture outside of downtown.

Conventioneer Leon Maisel of Mobile, Ala., who stayed at the Fairmont Olympic, said he was most impressed by the city's service culture, its "sense of adventure," progressiveness and Boeing's operations, which were "just freakin' huge." But, "after about 5 in the evening, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of panhandlers."

Asked to rate the city's friendliness toward tourists, visitors gave an average of 8.97 on a scale of one to 10, with 10 representing perfection. Visitors also named the city's biggest strengths and weaknesses.

They loved the food. Icon Grill on Fifth Avenue got a thumbs up from Brent Rogers of Dallas. He said he visits many cities, and Seattle's biggest downside is that its convention center is too small for his clients.

It is the smallest one on the West Coast compared with other major cities such as Portland,according to Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Other visitors picked on some Seattle sore spots. After praising the shopping and coffee, Yeen Mankin of San Francisco lamented, "You need some sort of rapid transport system in the city."

Sasha Prince of New York City said she didn't find enough nightlife downtown on Saturday. "I was like, 'Wow, there's nobody on the street.' "

But overall, people seemed impressed. Some were surprised by the city's cleanliness and how easy it is to walk from a downtown hotel to restaurants and shopping.

"I didn't expect the people here to be that friendly," said Jolene McNeil, who flew in from Philadelphia. "It really rivals the Southern hospitality."

Her friend LeeAnne Jensick of Austin, Texas, said Seattle amazed her with its local flavor. But, "There are a lot of transients on the street," she said. "I got to tell you, it rivals D.C."

McNeil offered, "But they're friendly homeless people."

Serena Melancon of New Orleans said: "It's an easy city. I'd love to take my husband."

Politeness also scored high marks. "I like that people don't honk at you out here," said Stephanie Sullivan of Chicago.

Tourism officials have called the just-concluded convention Seattle's most important one, ever. They hope to book $50 million in new convention business in the next year.

The $2 million affair included special music performances, private shopping at Nordstrom, famous speakers and more than 80 restaurant buy-outs for parties around the city.

Next year, the Professional Convention Management Association will meet in New Orleans. Attendance this year in Seattle broke a record, with more than 3,400 people, and the association told the mayor that it will give 3,021 trees to Seattle.